jetsrule128 Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 Jets happy to be in new Florham Park practice facility by Dave Hutchinson/The Star-Ledger Monday September 01, 2008, 10:27 PM The Jets spent the weekend trading in their outdated Hofstra University complex, the team's home for the past 40 years, for a new $75 million, state-of-the-art facility in Florham Park. Monday, the players spent their first day at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center, going through a short walk-through practice and meetings. The Jets' first full day of practice will be Wednesday in preparation for their season opener on Sunday in Miami against the Dolphins and quarterback Chad Pennington. "You feel like you're part of the NFL now," said one player, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he wasn't one of the four players the team made available to the media Monday during a conference call. "Hofstra had to be the worst facility in the league." The new complex, which the organization believes will give the team a competitive advantage, includes three 100-yard grass fields, a regulation FieldTurf field and a full-length indoor field with a high roof that provides enough room for punts and field goals. Inside, space is everywhere. The locker room is oval and the locker stalls are huge. There's a lengthy hallway from the locker room to the meeting rooms. "If you want to get to meetings on time, you have to leave five minutes earlier," joked safety Kerry Rhodes. The meeting rooms are spacious, with the latest in technology. The training room includes a workout pool that has a treadmill at the bottom to help players rehab injuries. The weight room is enormous. There's a full-service cafeteria that rivals restaurants of upscale hotels. Flat-screen televisions are everywhere and the players' lounge has the feel of a multimillion-dollar mansion. "I think it's fantastic," said center Nick Mangold. "What they've put in this building for us is amazing. Everything was designed to allow us to have preparation and be at the peak of our game. It's exciting to finally be in the building after hearing about it for so long." "I enjoy being in the building now," said defensive end Shaun Ellis. "It's something you look forward to coming to. I couldn't wait over the weekend to get here." Incredibly, the Jets moved into the facility a year early and the week before the season opener. Players were off from Friday through Sunday. Nearly all are settled in New Jersey. NOTES Coach Eric Mangini said Mike Westhoff has officially been rehired and he'll run the special teams and act an as assistant head coach. Current special teams coach Kevin O'Dea will assist Westhoff. Mangini confirmed that veteran safety John Lynch, 36, is on the team's short list although he's expected to re-sign with the Patriots, who released him on Sunday. Several players said it's going to be "weird" playing against Pennington, who spent his first eight seasons with the Jets. Pennington knows the Jets but the Jets also know Pennington. "You have to play a little bit of cat and mouse," said Ellis, who played all eight seasons with Pennington. Former Rutgers LB Brandon Renkart is on the Jets' eight-player practice squad. The other members are: WR Larry Brackins, FB Jehuu Caulcrick, OL Stanley Daniels, S James Ihedigbo, G Matt McChesney, DE Ropati Pitoitua and WR Paul Raymond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsrule128 Posted September 2, 2008 Author Share Posted September 2, 2008 i think it's dearth talking to him at training camp he did not like hofstra and long island Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick34125 Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 chris baker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsrule128 Posted September 2, 2008 Author Share Posted September 2, 2008 chris baker nah baker said good things about hofstra the day after the final practice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uart Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 From the pics I've seen of Florham park, the Jets facility looks much better than what the Eagles have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelticwizard Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 From the pics I've seen of Florham park, the Jets facility looks much better than what the Eagles have. I would imagine that if the new facility makes it easier for the Jets' players to work out then they would be eager to leave Hofstra. You know, when the Hofstra facility was built most teams, including I believe the Jets, did not have any strength coaches, let alone weight training programs tailored to each individual. The teams left it up to the players if they wanted to work out or not. Only a few players did, and they followed their own program, which was frequently haphazard. I'm sure they've added a lot more equipment since then, but if that was the starting point for the facility, then I imagine that "outdated" is using a kind word to describe it. The Jet fans who went down to Hofstra to see them work out year after year no doubt have fond memories of the place, but from the player's perspective, you can't blame them for wanting a facility to give them the competitive edge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoFlaJets Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 i think it's dearth talking to him at training camp he did not like hofstra and long island James Dearth is killing this team Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uart Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 There is no reason why they can't have training camp at Hofstra still, though. A lot of teams have camp off-site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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